]]>Below, you’ll find the Baseball Census master list for every amateur player we covered this spring that was selected in the 2018 MLB Draft. Included in the list are links to our original, on-location, in-depth scouting reports for each player, plus game videos of each player taken during their amateur careers ahead of this week’s draft. Please click on those links for specific information about each player.

For a few hundred more baseball prospects that weren’t drafted, use the search bar function on our website to find scouting reports, feature interviews, in-depth game notes, and more — for both college and minor league prospects. In addition, please subscribe to our YouTube channel for thousands of baseball prospect videos, with new video content added every single day.

While you’re here…

More people are reading Baseball Census than ever, but advertising revenues across digital media continue to fall. Unlike many sports media outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall, because our core mission is to produce extensive, high-quality prospect content that is free and available for all. To that end, we need your help. Our baseball content takes time, money, and lots of hard work to produce. If you like what you read for free on this site, please help fund Baseball Census’ continued existence by giving any amount of support securely via PayPal:

Selected in the 27th round (822) of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros out of Western Oklahoma State College … Incomplete report; never saw him catch in my look at Juan Paulino with Western Oklahoma State College; only saw the big man play first base and hit. Big, thick built kid who’s probably ideal behind the plate, at least in regards to size. Big bat in the middle of the lineup with plenty of raw power to all fields; hit a towering home run to left (opposite) field in my look; flicked the wrists, hand/wrist strength with barrel manipulation took the ball out of the yard. BP is a show. Easy power for him; potential for plus, particularly when you factor in his pull side pop potential; simple to see why Juan Paulino is attractive to the Houston Astros for that reason alone. Ceiling could push to larger role depending on how he turns out behind the plate; need to see more to figure that one out.

Related to our Houston Astros C Juan Paulino Scouting Report:

While you’re here…

More people are reading Baseball Census than ever, but advertising revenues across digital media continue to fall. Unlike many sports media outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall, because our core mission is to produce extensive, high-quality prospect content that is free and available for all. To that end, we need your help. Our baseball content takes time, money, and lots of hard work to produce. If you like what you read for free on this site, please help fund Baseball Census’ continued existence by giving any amount of support securely via PayPal:

Selected in the 30th round (912) of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros out of Azusa Pacific University … Quite a bit going on mechanically; max effort guy who hides the ball very well and then comes out at three-quarters release point, but variable landing spots and release points contribute to an adventure out on the mound at times. Mechanics are, frankly, a mess; steps way off line at points and provides max effort look that’s not sustainable in anything more than a short role; herky jerky arm action without feel for low-effort repeatable delivery may eventually push Layne Henderson towards a bullpen role with the Houston Astros; command problems arise from mechanical issues … Sat 86-92 with the fastball in my look (predominantly 87-89), and paired it with a 76-80 changeup, a 68-72 curveball, and a 73-76 slider … Fastball is pretty straight, but it sneaks up on guys, particularly RHH. Great extension on the pitch out in front, and really explodes to the plate, especially at the top of the zone. Not a ton of downward plane; drop and drive push with lower arm angle gives flatter look to fastball … Changeup thrown far more to LHH; loves to go to his change there with some decent tumble and definite feel for the strike zone with it. Great extension on changeup just as with fastball; tunnels the two together pretty well. Pulls the string on the changeup a little bit; can miss some bats at best, generally good for weak contact … Breaking balls are both somewhat similar and slightly less advanced; slurve-like breakers that lack hard, sharp late life, but instead show break path early and can get hit; depth, but not tight … Nice MLB Draft selection; still relatively raw and needs to find some consistency in pro ball; arsenal and upside for a back-end rotation ceiling, but Layne Henderson will more likely be a long/middle-relief arm for the Houston Astros in time.

Related to our Houston Astros RHP Layne Henderson Scouting Report:

While you’re here…

More people are reading Baseball Census than ever, but advertising revenues across digital media continue to fall. Unlike many sports media outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall, because our core mission is to produce extensive, high-quality prospect content that is free and available for all. To that end, we need your help. Our baseball content takes time, money, and lots of hard work to produce. If you like what you read for free on this site, please help fund Baseball Census’ continued existence by giving any amount of support securely via PayPal:

]]>http://baseballcensus.com/2018/06/06/houston-astros-layne-henderson-scouting-report/feed/1Houston Astros RHP Dean Deetz Scouting Report, 2017http://baseballcensus.com/2017/11/23/houston-astros-dean-deetz-scouting-report-baseball-player-evaluation-video-2017/
http://baseballcensus.com/2017/11/23/houston-astros-dean-deetz-scouting-report-baseball-player-evaluation-video-2017/#commentsFri, 24 Nov 2017 05:59:05 +0000http://baseballcensus.com/?p=11791Selected by the Houston Astros in the 11th round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, right-handed pitching prospect Dean Deetz made it all the way to Triple-A Fresno in 2017, predominantly seeing use as a starter across two levels there and with Double-A Corpus Christi. Moving quickly through the system and …

]]>Selected by the Houston Astros in the 11th round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, right-handed pitching prospect Dean Deetz made it all the way to Triple-A Fresno in 2017, predominantly seeing use as a starter across two levels there and with Double-A Corpus Christi. Moving quickly through the system and about to turn 24 years old (DOB: November 29, 1993), Deetz was added to Houston’s 40-man roster earlier this month and should make an impact at some point in 2018 with the big league club in Texas.

The only question, though, is exactly where Deetz’s big league impact will be felt by the Houston Astros. The righty boasts an upper 90s fastball and power slider that would suggest a bullpen future, with some of the command and control issues to back up that projection for his career moving forward. The Astros, though, have felt it important to keep Deetz predominantly a starter, which is where he’s spent 50 of his 77 career minor league games through their system (including 16 of 25 appearances in 2017). But after 274 strikeouts (and 139 walks) over 279 career minor league innings to date, combined with his power profile, it’s highly likely he winds up a late-inning power arm sooner rather than later.

Dean Deetz Scouting Report, Houston Astros — 2017

Dates observed in 2017: Arizona Fall League

TOOL (FV)

NOTES & COMMENTS

Fastball (70)

Legitimate double-plus fastball with serious giddyup out of his hand. No arm-side run, little by way of sink; fairly flat, but some occasional glove-side cut, especially when out on that side of the plate. Less than ideal height (6’1″) produces less than ideal downward plane, but velocity more than makes up for it. Challenges hitters; goes hard-hard with intention to blow people away. Ball explodes out of his hand; high-effort delivery, especially in viewings at the AFL. Closer-type pitch, but needs more life and some plane to really grade out as elite. Velocity: 95-98, T 99.

Slider (50)

10-to-4 spinner; hard with some tilt. More of a sweeping slider than a sharp/late breaking pitch. Will miss some bats, make RHH uncomfortable. Tougher to use against LHH; breaks right into stereotypical lefty bat path, even with velocity and sweeping action. Doesn’t always finish the pitch and thus leaves it up without late bit, but enough velocity to give a margin of error; will slow down arm action and body to tip pitch at times. Probably should even be thrown even slightly harder and tighter with more tilt; would miss more bats that way. Still, workable/average second pitch in a late-inning relief role. Velocity: 85-87, T 88.

Control/Command (50/40)

Mechanical issues with modest tendency to overthrow without following through leaves the ball up too often. Lack of downward life on both offerings results in too many pitches out over the fat part of the plate. Decent enough feel for both sides of the plate with slider; fastball is more of a bull in a china shop going wherever it’s going to go. Velocity ultimately provides critical margin of error.

Mechanics

Three-quarters delivery; max effort with quick arm action, doesn’t always finish the pitch out front over his landing foot (contributing to command issues). Nearly catcher-like arm action; short, sweet, and to the point. Falls off to first base side at times, some kickback in follow-through after extension and release. Profiles like a reliever already with his mechanics; grip it and rip it; works quickly with little fanfare between pitches. Will slow down arm and body on occasion with off speed, potentially tipping pitch — something to watch moving forward.

Intangibles

Works like he’s a former position player; no nonsense, very fast. Good athlete with intensity on the mound. Personality and the way he carries himself both seem ideal for back-end bullpen role.

Dean Deetz Scouting Report — Houston Astros — 2017 Game Video

Dean Deetz Scouting Report — Notes & Analysis

It’s a wonder to see that Dean Deetz is still starting games in the minor leagues with the Houston Astros. He should’ve been working exclusively in late relief with High-A Lancaster in 2016, and he certainly should have been in the bullpen by the time he got to Fresno this summer. Thankfully, when Deetz showed up to pitch for Mesa in the Arizona Fall League last month, the Solar Sox had him working exclusively out of the bullpen — and it’s in that role where his stuff really started to play up. If you saw him pitch at AFL, it’s not hard to see the projection to a full-time high-leverage role.

Considering he’s armed with a seriously powerful upper-90s fastball and that upper-80s bender, Deetz would be a fairly formidable arm right now in a big league bullpen even with no experience at the level. Command issues in his recent rotation role (41 walks over 45 innings with Fresno to finish 2017) should further direct the Astros to push Deetz into a relief job full time. That he hasn’t already been working in relief for more than a year to ready himself for some of the intricacies of coming out of the bullpen in late innings is the only question left unanswered; soon, he should answer it.

Dean Deetz Scouting Report — Future Projection

The Houston Astros will be mis-using Dean Deetz if he ever starts another game. Armed with easy upper-90s heat and that wipeout slider — not to mention imprecise control and some command issues — the righty ought to be a bullpen arm with a bright future. He blew away some very good AFL hitters in a few different looks out of the ‘pen this fall with a fastball that seriously gets on guys and that slider which, while it can stand to improve, shows good feel and some depth. Down the road, I’m not sure he’s going to have the command and above-average secondary to really lock down a big league closer role, but he’ll get close. Add in his less-than-ideal height (especially for a starter), and he seems destined to fight for a role as a 7th/8th inning man with the Houston Astros before too long.

Dean Deetz hasn’t always put up eye-popping numbers throughout his professional career, and he’s been throwing much of the time in the wrong role, but he can really, really throw the ball. That upper 90s heat is going to fit in well with a good bullpen in Houston, and Deetz has developed himself into what’ll soon be a legitimate shot at a big league set-up job for years to come.

Overall Future Potential (Future Value): Almost certain to have a bullpen future with power profile, will push ceiling to late-inning/closer role at best; command profile must improve even with wipeout stuff (50/55)

MLB ETA: 2018

Did you like this Dean Deetz scouting report? Get more prospects here:

]]>http://baseballcensus.com/2017/11/23/houston-astros-dean-deetz-scouting-report-baseball-player-evaluation-video-2017/feed/1Houston Astros OF Kyle Tucker discusses hitting at the Arizona Fall Leaguehttp://baseballcensus.com/2017/11/02/houston-astros-kyle-tucker-arizona-fall-league-baseball-video-interview-sande-charles/
http://baseballcensus.com/2017/11/02/houston-astros-kyle-tucker-arizona-fall-league-baseball-video-interview-sande-charles/#respondFri, 03 Nov 2017 04:37:23 +0000http://baseballcensus.com/?p=11631Mesa, Arizona —— Houston Astros outfield prospect Kyle Tucker enjoyed a solid season in 2017, splitting time between High-A Buies Creek and Double-A Corpus Christi and ending up a 20-20 guy with stellar numbers across the board as he settled in as one of the organization’s top prospects. Across 464 at-bats this summer between those …

]]>Mesa, Arizona ——Houston Astros outfield prospect Kyle Tucker enjoyed a solid season in 2017, splitting time between High-A Buies Creek and Double-A Corpus Christi and ending up a 20-20 guy with stellar numbers across the board as he settled in as one of the organization’s top prospects. Across 464 at-bats this summer between those two clubs, Tucker slashed .274/.346/.528/.874 with 33 doubles, 25 home runs, 21 stolen bases, 46 walks, and 109 strikeouts. At the end of the year, he was assigned to the Mesa Solar Sox of the prestigious Arizona Fall League, which is where we came across the outfielder recently for an on-camera interview about hitting, making adjustments at the AFL, getting drafted by the Astros, and quite a bit more.

You can watch that interview, with Baseball Census on-air host Sande Charles, right here:

As for Kyle Tucker, he’ll likely start the 2018 season at Triple-A Fresno, and depending on how things go with the big league club in Houston, he may be up in The Show sooner rather than later. He’s a good athlete with a very, very advanced feel for manipulating the barrel, and that could turn the long, lanky outfielder into one of the game’s better pure hitters if he continues to develop on this pace as he reaches the big leagues. We’ll see what happens with the now-World Champion Houston Astros in time — and over the next month, we’ll have more game video up from the AFL season so you can see Kyle Tucker bat for yourself. Stay tuned!

]]>http://baseballcensus.com/2017/11/02/houston-astros-kyle-tucker-arizona-fall-league-baseball-video-interview-sande-charles/feed/0Philadelphia Phillies: Thomas Eshelman Scouting Report, 2017http://baseballcensus.com/2017/10/05/philadelphia-phillies-thomas-eshelman-scouting-report-baseball-player-evaluation-video-2017/
http://baseballcensus.com/2017/10/05/philadelphia-phillies-thomas-eshelman-scouting-report-baseball-player-evaluation-video-2017/#commentsFri, 06 Oct 2017 05:25:45 +0000http://baseballcensus.com/?p=11252Originally selected by the Houston Astros in the 2nd round of the 2015 MLB Draft, right-handed pitching prospect Thomas Eshelman was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in the Ken Giles/Mark Appel deal in December of that year, and since then has steadily rose through to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2017. Named by the Phillies as their Minor …

]]>Originally selected by the Houston Astros in the 2nd round of the 2015 MLB Draft, right-handed pitching prospect Thomas Eshelman was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in the Ken Giles/Mark Appel deal in December of that year, and since then has steadily rose through to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2017. Named by the Phillies as their Minor League Pitcher of the Year at the end of this summer, Eshelman finished 13-3 with a 2.40 ERA and three complete games over 23 starts. Across 150 innings in that span, he allowed just 128 hits (.233 opponents’ batting average) and 18 walks while striking out 102 batters. Set to turn 24 years old in the middle of next year (DOB: June 20, 1994), Eshelman is on the doorstep of the big leagues and coming off the best season of his professional career at exactly the right time.

All that said, and even with above-average control and nearly pinpoint command, Thomas Eshelman doesn’t do it with even average velocity on his fastball. Because of that, he’s fallen through the cracks in terms of recognition from a broader audience outside of the Philadelphia Phillies. But while he may not have the natural stuff to be a frontline starter or future ace, Eshelman’s consistency will get him to the big leagues and should establish him once there as a workhorse back-end rotation arm. Below, we have a full Thomas Eshelman scouting report that includes game video, tool grades, pitch breakdowns, and some notes on future projection for the Philadelphia Phillies farmhand.

Thomas Eshelman, Philadelphia Phillies — 2017 Scouting Report

Dates observed in 2017: July 17

TOOL (FV)

NOTES & COMMENTS

Four-Seam Fastball (50)

Average to slightly below-average working velocity. Pretty straight and standard offering out of high three-quarters/nearly overhand release. Pinpoint command. Will dot the four-seam early in the game and early in counts. Not overpowering but effective enough when commanded, especially with moderate downward plane. More of a get-over to begin a sequence that’ll end with the two-seamer, cutter, or off-speed. When he needs to, not afraid to throw four-seamer in, even off the plate, to his arm-side to make RHH uncomfortable. Very good extension and feel for both sides of the plate. Velocity: 90-92, T 93.

Two-Seam Fastball (50)

Very late, very tight arm-side run with some sink. Would be below-average in terms of raw pitch life, but Eshelman dots it extremely well corner to corner; pinpoint command with just enough late life allows him to miss barrels and draw weak contact. Like the four-seamer, occasional tendency to use it arm-side both as a brushback look to RHH and on the black as a strike to set up off-speed to glove side. Velocity: 88-90, T 91.

Cut Fastball (45)

Like the two-seamer, Eshelman’s cutter has very subtle, but very late arm-side cut with some sink. And like his two-seamer, it’s not a swing-and-miss pitch as much as it accounts for last-second movement to weak contact off the barrel. He likes to throw the cutter a lot, and he can carve up both sides of the plate with it. Pitch plays up because of impeccable command and overhand release with downward plane; good wrinkle for him to use in on LHH in particular as a way to keep them from diving over the plate. Velocity: 87-90, T 91.

Changeup (45)

Average feel for the changeup on both arm-side and glove-side. General control of it down at the knees, but lacking in nuanced feel for plus tumble and sink; modest arm-side run with a little bit of fade. Like the cutter and two-seamer, not so much an above-average pitch as it is merely adequate, meticulously controlled, and with just enough late life to get off the barrel and draw weaker contact. Feels like it lags a step behind the rest of his stuff, but could have just been an off day for the changeup in my view. Velocity: 76-79, T 80.

Curveball (50)

12-to-6 break on overhand curveball. Trusts it a lot, will throw it early and late in counts, as well as when ahead and when behind when he needs a called strike pitching backwards in a fastball count. Not a true hammer and hasn’t proven to be a strikeout pitch, but — do I sound like a broken record yet? — enough late life with consistent knee-level command to get just off the barrel and draw weaker contact. Velocity differential will get hitters out in front, too; good arm speed and action helps sell it at release over the top. In my look, Thomas Eshelman immediately went to his curveball the second time through the lineup and started to pitch backwards off it. Advanced ability to get it over and down early in counts, and also throw it to both sides of the plate to both LHH and RHH. Velocity: 71-73, T 74.

Slider (45)

Slider showed a tendency to flatten out some in my look; sometimes very good with definite depth and 10-to-4 movement, sometimes shorter, tighter, and too similar to the cut fastball. When on, distinct enough to have value as a second breaking ball, especially to RHH. As with everything else he throws, late life gets it off the barrel; some speed differential compared to two-seam/cutter combo can provide another way to get hitters off balance. Won’t miss as many bats as the curveball, but he can bury it on occasion as a good two-strike pitch, and back-foot LHH when ahead in the count. Velocity: 81-82, T 83.

Control/Command (80/70)

Undoubtedly the best control/command combo I saw in 2017; arguably the best command profile in all of the minor leagues. Thomas Eshelman legitimately makes other pitching prospects with above-average control look like amateurs. Of course, he requires impeccable command to survive because of what he lacks in velocity and pitch life. In my look, Eshelman made one mistake over the plate to Atlanta Braves prospect Ronald Acuna and the young outfielder hit it 450 feet. Anecdotal, of course, but a cautionary tale in how critical command will be for Thomas Eshelman at the next level with the Philadelphia Phillies. Fortunately, he has double-plus command of everything in his arsenal.

Mechanics

Short, sweet, and to the point. Quick step and turn to balance, with a very short arm swing on the back side and near fully-overhand release point to the plate. Hides the ball very well on the back side. Works very quickly, pushing the pace on hitters and visibly disrupting timing and pre-pitch rituals. Keeps mechanics out of the stretch; doesn’t leak out forward to the plate, and has short and quick enough arm action to consistently stay on top and through the ball from the stretch. Easy, free, and repeatable mechanics; relatively stress-free arm action. Ideal easy effort and simple physicality for a starting pitcher expected to eventually take 30+ turns in the rotation.

Intangibles

Undoubtedly one of my favorite pitchers from 2017. What Thomas Eshelman lacks in ‘sexy’ projectable stuff, he makes up for it with nearly flawless, elite command. Very unique pitcher to watch work. Extremely polished and composed on the mound; obvious understanding of advanced sequencing and, more importantly, consistent ability to execute on those sequences. Bulldog-type mentality out of necessity, lacks power stuff but still manages to challenge hitters and miss his fair share of bats by consistently getting ahead and staying ahead. Thomas Eshelman is going to out-perform every public evaluation of him. Bet on it.

Thomas Eshelman Scouting Report — Notes & Analysis

One of the more polished college arms when he entered pro ball, Thomas Eshelman will prove to be a total steal for the Philadelphia Phillies — one that’ll somewhat redeem the ill-fated Mark Appel add in that 2015 trade. Most upper 80s/90 mph starters get pretty quickly found out once they reach the high minors without the stuff to miss the bats of better hitters, but most of those pitchers don’t have Eshelman’s command profile. Very, very few guys across pro ball have the ability Eshelman does to dot both sides of the plate with his entire (and deep) arsenal, and while he’ll always pitch to contact, you’d be wise to bet on Eshelman exceeding expectations. Kyle Hendricks is a best-case scenario comp, but he and Eshelman do a lot of the same things, have similar arsenals, hide the ball very well, and survive on plus-plus command. Let’s not go so far as to predict the Philadelphia Phillies have the second coming of Hendricks here, but, seriously: Thomas Eshelman will far exceed expectations with what appears to most to be pedestrian stuff.

Thomas Eshelman Scouting Report — Future Projection

Barring something unforeseen, Thomas Eshelman will be pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2018, perhaps even to start the season depending on how winter and spring training shake out. Realistically, I think he settles into a back-end rotation role with the consistency and command profile to start 30+ times a year with exceptional competitiveness, if lacking in power stuff. If he does fall short of that, Eshelman’s arsenal and attacking ways make him a natural lock as a low-leverage long reliever.